Fabulous experience but very tiring being in a different port every single day, especially as we did B2B cruises ( a total of 21 nights with only 1 sea day at the very beginning). Ship was clean and tidy, most of the staff were friendly and helpful and most of the food was good. Entertainment could use some work, and not be so loud that you can't carry on a conversation in public open areas, like the atrium ( it was even so loud that the staff at guest services had to keep repeating themselves to be heard).
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Quick and easy, probably the best we've ever had
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Decent variety however the food in the Garden Cafe (buffet) needs to be hotter. And they need to maintain the drink & ice machines more regularly, they were nearly always broken or empty.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We avoided the hot tubs and pool because they were always packed or it was not hot enough to swim. The giant chess and checkers were great and the golf driving range net was also okay.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
They did their best, but most of the singers on-board were of average talent and the shows were short (at most, only 45 minutes). If you didn't want to go to the bar or casino of a night time, there really wasn't much else to do.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Room steward was great but he did struggle with English, which made it difficult at times. The wait staff in most bars and restaurants were great, though it was always hard to get a drink in O'Sheeghan's, they were too busy talking.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Always spotlessly clean. Starting to look a little dated and tired but well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The bed was like concrete and the pillows had obviously been washed a few times and become hard and lumpy but overall, the cabin layout was great and always kept clean by our steward. They could use power next to the beds, especially for things like medical equipment, which we had.
We did this port with an excursion as we had done back to back cruises, so this was our mid-way point. It was a whirlwind day but we got to see a lot of things with plenty of free time. Great introduction to a beautiful city.
We visited Lucca and Pisa in an excursion. Pisa and its surrounds were amazing but we didn't think much of Lucca. A bit tired and not a huge amount to see.
Pompeii gets 5 stars but the excursion was rushed and we only had 2 hours to explore the site, even they we were in port late and the site was open for more than another hour after we left.
We visited Taormina and Castelmona in an excursion. Taormina was beautiful and we had views across to Mt. Etna. Lunch at Castelmona was ok and a lot of places were closed.
Our original excursion was changed as the palace we were supposed to visit had closed to renovations. Instead, we visited the birth place of the late Prince Philip, Mon Repos Palace. Quite boring and empty, and it needs a lot of TLC. Shopping was great but the overall excursion was short and not really worth it.
Fantastic day with a great excursion. We visited the archaeological site and museum and the village is just adorable, with plenty of free time as well.
Amazing place. Looks exactly as any picture you have ever seen. We did an expensive excursion, Ultimate Santorini, and it just was not worth the money. Small vans that were cramped and speakers not working, couldn't see out of the windows. The supplied lunch was just a dry piece of roasted chicken, no drinks.
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